What Ellis Jones does

Ellis Jones is an Australian strategic consultancy founded in 2003 (some company biographies cite 2009) and headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. The firm applies behavioural science, co-design methodology, design thinking, and strategic communications to help mission-driven organisations navigate complex social challenges. Its service portfolio spans six disciplines: communications, design, digital impact, research, social impact, and behaviour change consulting, delivered across seven verticals: government, health and ageing, energy and environment, arts and culture, education, property, and community services.

The firm's core intellectual property includes the Pivot Playbook (a downloadable organisational change methodology), a Research Translation Framework, and a Behaviour Change Methodology grounded in capability-opportunity-motivation models. Notable deliverables include the Mentally Healthy Workplaces national platform for the National Mental Health Commission, the Energy Affordability Training Partnership with the Consumer Policy Research Centre (IABC 2020 Gold Quill winner), the Think Before You Post campaign for Ambulance Victoria, the Shape Tomorrow research and stakeholder engagement programme for Emmy Monash aged care, and the City of Melbourne FOGO waste behaviour change programme. Co-design and stakeholder engagement are central to delivery, often run in partnership with academic institutions (University of Melbourne's Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, BehaviourWorks Australia), unions (ETU), industry bodies (Clean Energy Council), and Traditional Owner corporations.

Ellis Jones is a privately held, founder-led firm (Rhod Ellis-Jones is founder and managing director) with 11-50 employees. Revenue comes from project-based professional services fees negotiated with individual clients; no pricing is publicly disclosed. Distribution is entirely direct, via professional networks, referrals, awards-driven credibility, and content marketing (website, blog, LinkedIn, Instagram). The firm has won multiple industry awards including an IABC Gold Quill, a Clean Energy Council Marketing Award, Premier's Design Award, and AGDA finalist recognitions. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Ellis Jones

Legal name

Ellis Jones

Website

https://ellisjones.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ellis Jones is a Melbourne-based strategic consultancy applying behavioural science, co-design and communications to help Australian government, healthcare, NGO and mission-driven organisations drive behaviour change and social impact.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Consulting Services (Behaviour Change & Social Impact)

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Change Management & Transformation Consulting (BPAHAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organization Design & Change Management Consulting (BPAHACAD), Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting (BPAHAGAB), Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB), Innovation, Product & R&D Consulting (BPAHACAM)

Keywords

• Behaviour change consulting
• Strategic communications agency
• Social impact strategy
• Research translation services
• Co-design methodology

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consultancy Services: Ellis Jones generates revenue through providing strategic consultancy services including research, strategy design, communications, digital impact, design, and social impact services to government, not-for-profit, and commercial clients. Projects are typically fee-for-service engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ellis Jones is a Melbourne-based strategic consultancy that delivers behaviour change consulting, strategic communications, design, digital impact, research translation, and social impact services. The firm works with government agencies, healthcare providers, not-for-profits and mission-driven organisations to translate research into action, design co-created strategies with communities, and run behaviour change campaigns that deliver measurable social outcomes. Its proprietary Pivot Playbook methodology underpins its organisational change work.

Product overview

Ellis Jones is a consultancy firm offering an integrated suite of services including behaviour change consulting, communications, design, digital impact, research, and social impact. The company operates across multiple sectors (Arts and Culture, Education, Energy and Environment, Government, Health and Ageing, and Property) and provides specific offerings like the Pivot Playbook (a downloadable methodology for organizational change) and Mentally Healthy Workplaces resources. Rather than a unified software platform, Ellis Jones delivers professional consulting services and toolkits that apply behavioral science and design thinking to help organizations achieve strategic outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Behaviour Change Services Strategic behaviour change consulting that applies behavioural science to research, strategy design and strategy activation for government, healthcare and NFP clients.
• Communications Services Strategic communications, campaign development and stakeholder engagement services delivered across government, healthcare, NFP and arts sectors.
• Design Services Visual identity, brand development and design thinking services for clients, recognised by AGDA, Victorian Premier's Design and other industry awards.
• Digital Impact Services Digital strategy, UX research and website development to help organisations achieve digital outcomes, including the Australian Queer Archives digital capability project.
• Research Services Research translation, co-design and evidence-based consulting that turns findings into real-world impact for clients.
• Social Impact Services Social impact strategy, shared value frameworks and community engagement services delivered to NFPs, social enterprises and mission-driven organisations.
• Pivot Playbook Proprietary downloadable methodology/toolkit that helps organisations pivot in response to complex, intersecting challenges by connecting people, fostering creativity and changing behaviour.
• Mentally Healthy Workplaces Resources Workplace mental health tools, guides and resources developed for the National Workplace Initiative as a one-stop-shop of trustworthy, effective information and guidance for Australian organisations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 video views in first three weeks for energy skills campaign
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy Affordability Training Partnership with CPRC and Community Information & Support Victoria (CISVic) to assist vulnerable consumers reduce energy costs. Ellis Jones led co-design, material creation and design, and evaluation components.
• ETU (Electrical Trades Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVictorian Government partnership with ETU, Centre for U, Future Energy Skills, and Holmesglen TAFE to train electricians in energy efficiency and electrification as part of decarbonisation strategy.
• Future Energy SkillscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership on energy sector training and skills development including New Energy Technology Systems (NETS) project and Know Your Battery campaign for solar battery installation training.
• Holmesglen TAFEcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining delivery partner for electrician energy skills training as part of Victorian Government electrification initiative.
• Clean Energy CouncilminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndustry partnership for Future Energy Skills Know Your Battery campaign to promote accredited solar battery installers.
• Hello WorldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership with Hello World to develop web-based application with SMS functionality for AFAO Indigenous health initiative.
• Melbourne Centre for Behaviour ChangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-design partnership with University of Melbourne's Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change on vaping behaviour change campaign with young people.
• Murdoch Children's Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on MHiPS project developing enterprise models to scale research impact for child and family health across Australian states.
• Good ShepherdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-design partnership with Good Shepherd for Beyond Blue financial and mental wellbeing continuum project.
• BehaviourWorks AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory input from BehaviourWorks Australia on City of Melbourne waste behaviour change project.
• Bone DigitalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite development partner for Australian Queer Archives digital capability project, working with Ellis Jones on UX and design.
• Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStakeholder engagement partnership for Waterways of the West CALD toolkit development, incorporating Traditional Owners perspectives.
• Melbourne WaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Waterways of the West CALD Engagement Toolkit co-design process.
• Centre for UcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Victorian Government energy skills training initiative for electrician electrification training.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bendelta: Australian strategy, design, and innovation consultancy working with government, NFP, and mission-driven organisations on transformation and impact — directly comparable in customer profile and consulting orientation.
• ThinkPlace: Australian human-centred design and behaviour-change consultancy working with government and NFP clients on strategy, service design, and policy implementation — the closest Australian head-to-head peer to Ellis Jones in mission, methodology, and customer base.
• Right Lane Consulting: Australian strategy and innovation consultancy working with public-sector and mission-driven clients on service design, behaviour change, and transformation — overlapping customer base and methodology with Ellis Jones.
• The Social Deck: Australian behaviour-change and social-impact consultancy applying behavioural insights to government and NFP programs, overlapping directly with Ellis Jones' Pivot Playbook / research-translation positioning.
• Lizard Brain: Boutique Australian behavioural-science consultancy applying behaviour-change thinking to communications and policy challenges for government and mission-driven clients, comparable in size and approach.

Broad incumbents

• Nous Group: Australian management and public-policy consultancy with a strong government and NFP practice; overlaps with Ellis Jones on strategy, service design, and evaluation mandates but with a broader and larger offering.
• Behavioural Insights Team (BIT): Global leader in applied behavioural science for governments and large institutions; competes for the same public-sector behaviour-change mandates as Ellis Jones, but at substantially greater scale and geographic reach.
• Deloitte (Australia – Purpose & Impact practice): Global strategy and consulting incumbent with purpose, impact, and behavioural-insights capabilities that increasingly compete for the same government and NFP transformation mandates as Ellis Jones at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Second Muse: Social-impact consultancy with offices in the US, Australia, and elsewhere delivering behaviour-change and innovation work for governments and communities; comparable in mission and methodology but geographically broader.

Emerging players

• BehaviourWorks Australia: Monash University-based behaviour-change research and applied unit; partners with but also competes for applied behaviour-change mandates with government clients, sharing the evidence-led positioning Ellis Jones uses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ellis-jones
• Instagraminstagram.com/ellisjonesagency
• Xx.com/EllisJonesLive
• Facebookfacebook.com/EllisJonesAU

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ellis Jones